Barbra Streisand Recalls Being Rejected for 15 Years Trying to Make 1983's “Yentl”: 'Every Studio Turned Me Down'

Dave Quinn, Carita RizzoMon, May 25, 2026 at 4:31 PM UTC

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Barbra Streisand at the 2026 Oscars
Credit: Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty -

Barbra Streisand spent 15 years fighting to direct and star in her passion project Yentl

She became the first woman filmmaker to receive a large Hollywood production budget for the 1983 film

Streisand accepted Cannes' Honorary Palme d’Or, reflecting on her career and the unifying power of cinema

Barbra Streisand is reflecting on the years-long battle to bring one of her most personal films to life.

During a pre-taped message played at the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, May 23, the legendary entertainer, 84, revealed that studios repeatedly rejected her passion project, 1983’s Yentl, before she finally got the chance to direct and star in the movie herself.

“I had stories I wanted to tell, like Yentl, about a 19th century Jewish woman who had to masquerade as a man to get an education,” Streisand said. “But I was a woman, which was an obstacle to people — and even worse, I was an actress who wanted to direct, so every studio turned me down.”

“For 15 years the project was on the verge of collapsing,” she continued. “But I had to make this movie.”

Barbra Streisand and Mandy Patinkin in a scene from the movie 'Yentl'
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty

Streisand was accepting Cannes' prestigious Honorary Palme d’Or at the event, which was broadcast live from the Palais des Festivals stage.

Isabelle Huppert accepted the honor on behalf of Streisand, who couldn't make the ceremony in person because she's recovering from an ongoing knee injury.

In her speech, the world-renowned actress, director, producer, screenwriter, singer and songwriter reflected on her journey to filmmaking.

“It is with a sense of pride and deep humility that I’m honored to join the company of past Honorary Palme d’Or recipients whose work has long inspired me,” Streisand previously said in a statement announcing the honor. “In these challenging times, movies have the ability to open our hearts and minds to stories that reflect our shared humanity, and to perspectives that remind us of both our fragility and our resilience.”

Barbra Streisand's speech plays at the closing ceremony of the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival
Credit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

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The festival described Streisand as “an iconic artist and embodiment of the American dream,” highlighting a career that includes 19 screen acting roles, three directing credits, two Oscars, 11 Golden Globes and 10 Grammy Awards. She also became the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1977 and the first woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Director in 1984.

Cannes president Iris Knobloch praised Streisand as “a consummate creator and courageous citizen, whose example stands the test of time and continues to inspire.”

Barbra Streisand in 'Yentl'
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty

In her speech, the EGOT winner said her love of cinema began as a teenager in Brooklyn, when she would visit a local theater near her high school called The Astor to watch foreign films by directors including François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Akira Kurosawa.

“I was mesmerized by those images on the screen,” Streisand said. “They were so powerful that they’re still in my head.”

She later worked with acclaimed directors including William Wyler, Vincente Minnelli and Sydney Pollack, experiences she said helped shape her own creative instincts behind the camera.

“I realized I was always looking at the movie as a whole, not just my part,” she said. “I had suggestions. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I was thinking like a director trying to figure out how to tell the story.”

Her fight to make Yentl ultimately changed Hollywood history. After acquiring the rights to Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer in 1963, Streisand spent two decades trying to bring the project to the screen before the film was finally released in 1983. The movie marked the first time a woman filmmaker was granted such a large production budget by a Hollywood studio.

Streisand closed her speech by praising the global film community and the power of cinema to bring people together.

“In a crazy, volatile world that seems more fractured every day, it’s reassuring to see the compelling movies at this festival by artists from many countries who have that magical ability to unite us, opening our hearts and minds,” she said. “That’s what we’re really celebrating at Cannes.”

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